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Organ and tissue donation

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust has an active organ and tissue donation policy. We believe that organ and tissue donation should be offered to the next of kin or the person closest to everybody who dies in a situation where organ donation can be considered.

Patients who die in the emergency department or in one of the intensive care units may be able to donate their tissue or organs.

Tissue and organs that can be donated include:

corneas

skin

bone and tendons

heart valves

kidneys

lungs

liver

small bowel

heart

pancreas

tissue

Southampton is a regional site for corneal donation and has the third highest donation rate in the UK.

Three people on the organ donation list die every day; by signing the organ donation register, you may be able to help someone after your death. The lives of hundreds of transplant patients are saved or changed for the better each year as a result of these donations.

You can also do something amazing and save a life by giving blood. Find out if you are eligible and make an appointment with the National Blood Service.

Tissue donation and bereavement

Every year many hundreds of lives are dramatically improved through the use of tissues donated after someone dies. Tissue donation is entirely voluntary and is dependent on the generosity of patients and their families. There are some conditions that prevent donations taking place and donations must take place within 48 hours of the person dying (24 hours for eye tissues).

However, if you think that the person who has died carried a donor card, was registered on the Organ Donor Register, or expressed a wish to donate tissue, please contact the bereavement care department on 023 8120 4587 who will discuss this further with you.

If the death occurred outside normal working hours, you can contact the NHS Blood and Transplant Service direct on 0800 432 0559. Tissue donation will not delay any funeral arrangements and, because great care is taken to restore the patient’s natural appearance, it will still be possible to arrange a viewing after the donation has taken place.